BEURRE BLANC
Interlocking ceramic tableware
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Casted porcelain ceramic | Colored slip clay
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2025
Ceramics Laboratory Aalto University
Helsinki
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Building Block Exhibition | Helsinki 2025
The ceramic pieces of my childhood, the ones that stuck with me, were the ones defined by the stories they carried. My grandfather’s butter tray, plain and almost unremarkable, stood out precisely because it became part of our family rituals. It was a silent witness to countless meals, conversations, and memories, proof that value comes not from rarity, but from emotional connection.
The collection reimagines the butter tray as a playful, modular set that encourages interaction. Its stackable forms, tactile textures, and vibrant yet familiar colors are tools for memory-making. By engaging the senses, the rhythm of assembling and disassembling makes the set more than functional. It becomes personal.
At the heart of this work lies the idea of emotional sustainability. In a culture that often prioritizes efficiency and novelty, objects are too easily replaced. Yet the things we keep, the ones that follow us through moves, generations, and changing tastes, are those that we form attachments to. Emotional sustainability is about creating designs that resist disposability. They resonate with us because they remind us of people, places, and shared experiences.
The butter tray collection is rooted in this principle. It is playful to adapt to different uses, sturdy and made to last, and poetic enough to invite memory. Each piece carries a palette drawn from the ceramics of my childhood, connecting past and present. The raw porcelain exterior offers a tactile honesty, while the colorful details and interiors create small moments of discovery. Together, they remind us that even the simplest rituals can carry the weight of memory and meaning.
By weaving narrative, interaction, and durability into the design, this project reflects on how objects can do more than serve us: they can anchor us. They become keepsakes, storytellers, and quiet companions in the rhythm of everyday life.